Research Guides: Archive Services: Digital Exhibits

Rowan Museum

"An old house on South Jackson Street was almost perfect for a museum because it was a museum piece itself. The house was built in 1819 for Judge James Martin, judge of Superior Court. In 1847, it was sold to Maxwell Chambers, who never lived in it; nevertheless, it was known as the Maxwell Chambers house until it became the Rowan Museum in 1955." In 1979, the Rowan Museum was moved out of the Maxwell Chambers house.

Community Building

"The old courthouse, known as the Community Building since the present courthouse was built in 1913, has had a useful span of service in the 116 years [written in 1960] since it was erected at the corner of Main and Council streets."

Sketches of Old Rowan

Sketches by Aubrey Atkinson, this content is taken from the compilation Sketches of Old Rowan, held in the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Archive Services. Each sketch is accompanied by an essay, written by George Raynor; the content is the reproduction of a series of illustrated articles which have appeared from time to time in the Salisbury Sunday Post. This series was compiled by the American Association of University Women, Salisbury Branch, in 1960. The captions for each photograph are taken directly from the essays that accompany them.

Gold Hill Mine

"The first gold in the Gold Hill section was discovered at what became known as the Barringer lode in 1825. It was a placer operation. The first really rich vein was the Barnhardt vein. This shaft is still visible from the road. . . The last attempt to open the mines was made in 1952-53 when the deep Randolph shaft was de-watered. Something went wrong though and today water, not busy miners, again inhabits the old shafts."

Lowerstone Church

"The Lowerstone and Organ churches without question rank among the most interesting church structures in North Carolina. Closely resembling each other in design and material, the church buildings were completed within a year of each other, and are close neighbors in Gold Hill township. Persons of Germanic descent constitute the bulk of the membership of both the Lutheran and the Reformed denominations in this section. Another similarity is that both of these churches are among the oldest--and likely the oldest--of their denominations in the state."

Strachan House

"The Strachan house occupies a generous, tree-shaded lot on the corner of West Bank and South Jackson Streets. . . It is an old house, one of the city's oldest. It apparently was built around 1820, and was erected to serve as the female boarding school of the noted old Salisbury Academy. It was only used for a few years before it was converted into a home." Today, the house is called the Hall House.

Mount Vernon

"Piedmont farm homes tended to keep to simple, utilitarian lines and to shun the ostentatious and ornate. This is Mount Vernon. Except for its oversized, forked chimney--which served the very practical purpose of keeping the occupants warm--architectural tricks are few. But the house, because of the honesty of its builder, the beauty of its location and the loving attention bestowed on it by its owners is one of Rowan's most striking."

Setzer School

"Restoration of the old Setzer School, a one-room log school building of pre-Civil War vintage, permits visitors a vivid glimpse of what early schooling was like. The school, which served South Rowan school children for decades, was relocated at the Knox Junior High School in Salisbury. The school has been refurnished with authentic replicas and original pieces of equipment and books."

Thyatira Church

"The Presbyterians, who had settled along Grants Creek, were quick to set up a congregation. This was the present Thyatira Presbyterian Church at Mill Bridge. It was first known as Cathey's Meeting House because no religious body was then allowed to call itself a church except the Church of England." The church was founded in 1753, before the American Revolution.

Old Stone House

"It was built by a German immigrant, Michael Braun in the 18th century, and his descendants--the Browns, the Fishers and many others--are numbered in the hundreds in Rowan today. . . Braun built the house in a Germanic and Pennsylvania tradition--with stone. He used the native Rowan granite which has the admirable virtue of being about the hardest granite in the world and the unhappy characteristic of also being about the hardest to cut and shape."

Rice and Ratledge Mill

"Wheat flour--the eternal staff of life--comes wrapped in dainty pillow cases today. It wasn't always so. In the do-it-yourself-or-it-did-not-get-done days, flour was toted home from a grist mill in a bushel or a barrel, not a handy two-pound or thrift 10-pound sack. It often was an all-day chore to get a season's supply of flour or corn meal."

Hambley Wallace Home

"A brilliant Englishman, who dug a fortune from the quarries and mines of the Piedmont more than a half century ago, left behind the most impressive granite monument in Rowan County. Owned successively by the wealthy Hambley, Norwood and Wallace families, the mansion in the 500 block of South Fulton Street has been known to stop passersby in their tracks because of its awesome size and commanding appearance."

The Blackmer Home

"The first timbers were probably raised for the house around 1821 by John Fulton, a leading citizen after whom the street was later named. . . The ante-bellum look is actually a post-bellum addition. But the house came into the Southern tradition look honestly for it is one of the city's oldest."

Dunn's Mountain

"Hardly high enough to warrant description as a mountain, it is less than impressive when seen from the road. But when the new visitor has huffed his way up steep grades and rough trails to the top, he can see why it is called a mountain. . . The mountain serves as a memorial to a Rowan pioneer, John Dunn, a native of Ireland, a pioneer, lawyer, and probably the first owner of the property." The above picture is a scan provided by the Rowan Public Library, as the sketch paired with this essay in Rowan-Cabarrus's Archive Services is the wrong sketch.

Murdoch Wiley House

"The house [William Murdoch] built in 1866 stands sturdier than any oak at the corner of West Bank and South Church Streets. It is owned by his descendants [written in 1960]. . . Murdoch's daughter, Miriam, married Samuel H. Wiley, and the Wileys made the old house their home. Murdoch's grandson, Samuel Henderson Wiley, was the father of Mrs. Kizziah [wife of local historian]." The house sits at 203 W Bank St, Salisbury.

Balfour Quarry

"The Rowan granite industry is an old one. . . The most famous stone from Rowan is that produced in one of the older pits just east of Granite Quarry and known for decades as Balfour Pink."

Early Law Office

"Local historian W. D. Kizziah believes the existing building [located on the library lawn] was erected by the first Archibald Henderson after he bought tract 19 from Judge McCay in 1796. . . The property passed from the Henderson family to the Boyden family as a result of the union of Nathaniel Boyden and a daughter of Archibald Henderson. Also a lawyer, Boyden used it as his law office until his death in 1877."

Rowan Museum

"An old house on South Jackson Street was almost perfect for a museum because it was a museum piece itself. The house was built in 1819 for Judge James Martin, judge of Superior Court. In 1847, it was sold to Maxwell Chambers, who never lived in it; nevertheless, it was known as the Maxwell Chambers house until it became the Rowan Museum in 1955." In 1979, the Rowan Museum was moved out of the Maxwell Chambers house.

Community Building

"The old courthouse, known as the Community Building since the present courthouse was built in 1913, has had a useful span of service in the 116 years [written in 1960] since it was erected at the corner of Main and Council streets."

Sketches of Old Rowan

Sketches by Aubrey Atkinson, this content is taken from the compilation Sketches of Old Rowan, held in the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Archive Services. Each sketch is accompanied by an essay, written by George Raynor; the content is the reproduction of a series of illustrated articles which have appeared from time to time in the Salisbury Sunday Post. This series was compiled by the American Association of University Women, Salisbury Branch, in 1960. The captions for each photograph are taken directly from the essays that accompany them.

Gold Hill Mine

"The first gold in the Gold Hill section was discovered at what became known as the Barringer lode in 1825. It was a placer operation. The first really rich vein was the Barnhardt vein. This shaft is still visible from the road. . . The last attempt to open the mines was made in 1952-53 when the deep Randolph shaft was de-watered. Something went wrong though and today water, not busy miners, again inhabits the old shafts."

Lowerstone Church

"The Lowerstone and Organ churches without question rank among the most interesting church structures in North Carolina. Closely resembling each other in design and material, the church buildings were completed within a year of each other, and are close neighbors in Gold Hill township. Persons of Germanic descent constitute the bulk of the membership of both the Lutheran and the Reformed denominations in this section. Another similarity is that both of these churches are among the oldest--and likely the oldest--of their denominations in the state."

Strachan House

"The Strachan house occupies a generous, tree-shaded lot on the corner of West Bank and South Jackson Streets. . . It is an old house, one of the city's oldest. It apparently was built around 1820, and was erected to serve as the female boarding school of the noted old Salisbury Academy. It was only used for a few years before it was converted into a home." Today, the house is called the Hall House.

Mount Vernon

"Piedmont farm homes tended to keep to simple, utilitarian lines and to shun the ostentatious and ornate. This is Mount Vernon. Except for its oversized, forked chimney--which served the very practical purpose of keeping the occupants warm--architectural tricks are few. But the house, because of the honesty of its builder, the beauty of its location and the loving attention bestowed on it by its owners is one of Rowan's most striking."

Setzer School

"Restoration of the old Setzer School, a one-room log school building of pre-Civil War vintage, permits visitors a vivid glimpse of what early schooling was like. The school, which served South Rowan school children for decades, was relocated at the Knox Junior High School in Salisbury. The school has been refurnished with authentic replicas and original pieces of equipment and books."

Thyatira Church

"The Presbyterians, who had settled along Grants Creek, were quick to set up a congregation. This was the present Thyatira Presbyterian Church at Mill Bridge. It was first known as Cathey's Meeting House because no religious body was then allowed to call itself a church except the Church of England." The church was founded in 1753, before the American Revolution.

Old Stone House

"It was built by a German immigrant, Michael Braun in the 18th century, and his descendants--the Browns, the Fishers and many others--are numbered in the hundreds in Rowan today. . . Braun built the house in a Germanic and Pennsylvania tradition--with stone. He used the native Rowan granite which has the admirable virtue of being about the hardest granite in the world and the unhappy characteristic of also being about the hardest to cut and shape."

Rice and Ratledge Mill

"Wheat flour--the eternal staff of life--comes wrapped in dainty pillow cases today. It wasn't always so. In the do-it-yourself-or-it-did-not-get-done days, flour was toted home from a grist mill in a bushel or a barrel, not a handy two-pound or thrift 10-pound sack. It often was an all-day chore to get a season's supply of flour or corn meal."

Hambley Wallace Home

"A brilliant Englishman, who dug a fortune from the quarries and mines of the Piedmont more than a half century ago, left behind the most impressive granite monument in Rowan County. Owned successively by the wealthy Hambley, Norwood and Wallace families, the mansion in the 500 block of South Fulton Street has been known to stop passersby in their tracks because of its awesome size and commanding appearance."

The Blackmer Home

"The first timbers were probably raised for the house around 1821 by John Fulton, a leading citizen after whom the street was later named. . . The ante-bellum look is actually a post-bellum addition. But the house came into the Southern tradition look honestly for it is one of the city's oldest."

Dunn's Mountain

"Hardly high enough to warrant description as a mountain, it is less than impressive when seen from the road. But when the new visitor has huffed his way up steep grades and rough trails to the top, he can see why it is called a mountain. . . The mountain serves as a memorial to a Rowan pioneer, John Dunn, a native of Ireland, a pioneer, lawyer, and probably the first owner of the property." The above picture is a scan provided by the Rowan Public Library, as the sketch paired with this essay in Rowan-Cabarrus's Archive Services is the wrong sketch.

Murdoch Wiley House

"The house [William Murdoch] built in 1866 stands sturdier than any oak at the corner of West Bank and South Church Streets. It is owned by his descendants [written in 1960]. . . Murdoch's daughter, Miriam, married Samuel H. Wiley, and the Wileys made the old house their home. Murdoch's grandson, Samuel Henderson Wiley, was the father of Mrs. Kizziah [wife of local historian]." The house sits at 203 W Bank St, Salisbury.

Balfour Quarry

"The Rowan granite industry is an old one. . . The most famous stone from Rowan is that produced in one of the older pits just east of Granite Quarry and known for decades as Balfour Pink."

Early Law Office

"Local historian W. D. Kizziah believes the existing building [located on the library lawn] was erected by the first Archibald Henderson after he bought tract 19 from Judge McCay in 1796. . . The property passed from the Henderson family to the Boyden family as a result of the union of Nathaniel Boyden and a daughter of Archibald Henderson. Also a lawyer, Boyden used it as his law office until his death in 1877."

Rowan Museum

"An old house on South Jackson Street was almost perfect for a museum because it was a museum piece itself. The house was built in 1819 for Judge James Martin, judge of Superior Court. In 1847, it was sold to Maxwell Chambers, who never lived in it; nevertheless, it was known as the Maxwell Chambers house until it became the Rowan Museum in 1955." In 1979, the Rowan Museum was moved out of the Maxwell Chambers house.

Community Building

"The old courthouse, known as the Community Building since the present courthouse was built in 1913, has had a useful span of service in the 116 years [written in 1960] since it was erected at the corner of Main and Council streets."

Archive Services: Digital Exhibits

Cabarrus County Services

Learn More

Sketches of Old Rowan

Sketches of Old Rowan

Gold Hill Mine

Finding Digital Material